Miami-Dade police have confirmed that one person is dead and 99 people unaccounted for following the collapse of a 12-story residential building just north of Miami Beach, Fla., in the middle of the night. Fifty-three residents have been accounted for so far. A massive and painstaking search-and-rescue operation is underway.
The collapse brought scores of first responders racing to the beachfront property in the city of Surfside.
Fire and rescue officials said approximately 55 apartment units were destroyed by the collapse inside the Champlain Towers South complex, a 40-year-old building that houses more than 136 units in total.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally Heyman told NPR that because someone was unaccounted for didn’t mean they were still in the building, that they may have been away from home for any number of reasons, such as work or travel.
Rescuers have so far helped evacuate 35 people who were trapped inside the building, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah told reporters. Most of those rescued were pulled from the building structure and part of the collapse, Jadallah said. Two people were saved from the rubble.
Jadallah told reporters that 10 people were treated on-site, while two others were transported to local hospitals.
The collapse occurred sometime around 1:30 a.m. Video obtained by local news station WSVN shows the building caving in on itself over a span of just 15 seconds, leaving behind tons of rubble and a massive plume of dust and debris.
